Zootopia: Law, Life, and Loneliness
by Petward327
Summary: Two years after the 'Nighthowler Conspiracy', the dynamic duo of Officers Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde continue to work their way through the streets of Zootopia, stopping crimes of varying size. With complacency and routine finally settling into their lives, a foreign transfer to the ZPD alongside a series of new threats to the city pulls them back into the action
1. Prologue

**Prologue: A Coffee Shop Banter**

Judy's face contorted in shock. She didn't know why she was surprised. She should have seen this coming from the very beginning.

"You're being absolutely ridiculous," the gray bunny huffed, placing a paw on her brow, and rubbed. Hard.

The fox sitting across the small café table from her shrugged, holding his paws up empty, "One of us has to."

The bunny's paw dragged down her face, past her muzzle, until it dropped onto the table, "It wouldn't hurt you to take this a little more seriously. This _is_ serious."

" _Seriously serious_?!" Nick's eyes opened widely, his mouth hanging slightly open.

"You're hopeless…" Judy rolled her eyes, turned away petulantly, and crossed her arms across her chest.

She wondered why she was surprised by his lazy, easygoing approach to a situation that so abruptly disrupted his life. It had been nearly three years since they first met. That was more than enough time to adjust to his dry and sarcastic personality.

The rabbit sighed and reached for her cup on the table, _Stagbucks'_ best: the _Las Lluvias_ coffee, straight from the city-state's famous coffee tree orchards. She hummed in satisfaction as the hot, dark black liquid filled her mouth. Las Lluvias, hmm? How fitting, she thought shifting her eyes to see Nick sipping his own drink. A white and light brown liquid filled the cup with even whiter whipped cream nearly spilling over the cusp like the peak of the snow topped mountain at the heart of Zootopia.

The café around them was fairly quiet. It was not quite lunch time yet so most weren't on their breaks until later. The couple still had a few hours till the coffee shop began bursting with people.

Green eyes caught hers as they both observed the café, happening to gaze into each other's in the process. He looked away and sighed. "So…it's a little water damage."

"'A little'?! Nick, your apartment would put the rainforest district to shame."

"I've always wanted a canopy condo there." Even when he had that obfuscating, wry smile on his face he always found a way to draw out a smile from Judy.

"You liar," A girlish giggle escaped from her muzzle before her paw could cover it up, "You'd hate it."

Nick tapped his chin, "You think the fact that it makes my coat feel ten times heavier _every time_ we patrol there trumps the stellar, picturesque vistas?"

He paused.

"Yes. You'd be one-hundred percent right."

The bunny laughed, nearly knocking her coffee off the dark brown table. The fox's orange-white muzzle skewed triumphantly. He counted every laugh as a win.

Nick threw his left arm around the back of his chair and looked out the window, watching the many mammals go about their business. A pair of gazelles nuzzling each other affectionately caught his eyes before Judy interrupted his attention. Golden Savanna Square sun rays glinted off her purple eyes like a car's freshly cleaned body.

"Where are you gonna stay then? While they fix it?" Judy's muzzle fell slightly, her brows following suit. Nick almost frowned himself, but practice payed off.

He shrugged largely, his eyes closing, "Not sure. I was thinking about asking my dearest, best friend if I could bunk with them. Till its fixed at least."

It was Judy's turn to sport the infamous 'Nick Wilde Smile'. "Oh yeah? And who might that be?"

Nick opened one eye to look at Judy, "Finnick."

"You… you asshole!" Nick did not realize a bunny's eyes could get so big, but if anyone would surprise him it would be Judy.

"Oh. Cursing. Now I've done it."

Judy threw her paws up in defeat. "I don't know what I expected from you."

The fox winked at her playfully, "I would ask you, Carrots, but your place is even smaller than mine was before it became an extension of the Canal District."

Judy backed up slightly and puffed her chest out indignantly, "That's only because I paid for mine legitimately!" A gray finger pointed at him accusingly.

"Point stands that we'd be living on top of each other…" Nick's face fell for a moment, then slowly smirked upwards "Oh…"

"'Oh' what?" Purple eyes squinted.

"You clever bunny. You're just trying to take advantage of my vulnerable living conditions to get into my pants." Nick wished he could take a picture of the face before him. Maybe next time, he pondered.

"'T-Take advantage'?! All I need to 'take advantage' of you is a handful of Hopps Farm blueberries and a skimpy tight outfit!" Nick was nearly taken aback. That was more bark than he was expecting. Nicely done, but not nice enough.

"Ooh, slowdown Farm Girl or you'll give _me_ 'blueberries'," He moaned, pushing his ears back with a slow paw.

Judy's fleeting victory fell into her hands in despair alongside her face, "Sweet cheese and crackers…"

"As not to ruin this delicious sexual tension thing we have going on I'll stay with Finnick." Nick punctuated his reasoning with an upheld paw.

"And this isn't an excuse to get back into the Pawpsicle game?"

Nick lifted his right paw with two fingers pointed up and closed his eyes, "On my honor as a true, blue, cub scout." As he said it his left eye twitched. A hot-cold feeling slithered up his spine. Maybe closing my eyes was a mistake. The darkness was a little too familiar.

The bunny lifted one eyebrow high, "Nick, you didn't join the cub scouts."

Nick's salute faltered and he grabbed his chest with as much hurt as he could muster, "Ouch, Carrots. I spill my guts to you only to have you come back and strangle me with them. You're colder than I thought."

"Oh please," her face still held its annoyed countenance, but the eyes held a warm playfulness. The friendly banter helped him. "I better not catch you conning anyone in between shifts."

"I _catch_ the cons. I'm a clean fox now."

"Keep it that way, _Officer_ Wilde."

"Ma'am yes, Ma'am!" Nick saluted his senior officer with hyperbolic gusto. However, he soon let it fall and let his smile settle into something genuine. "And… thanks, Judy. For caring." Judy blinked in hesitation. Of course she had seen the 'true' Nick before, but every time he let the armor down she felt like she had been given a gift she could not possibly repay. It was still Nick, though.

"Oh. Gratitude. Maybe you're not so hopeless after all." She took ahold of the coffee once more and silently cursed Nick for distracting her long enough that it had grown lukewarm.

He chuckled and pointed a clawed finger at her, "Don't get used to it, Cottontail."

The coffee shop stayed quiet for ten minutes, the two drifting into a companionable silence as they nursed their respective beverages. They both simply enjoyed the quiet of each other's company.

"This is nice."

"Yeah. Almost too nice." Nick squinted his eyes and looked around erratically.

Judy chuffed and leaned back, sighing, "It's been awhile since we could relax while on duty."

"Too many bad guys to catch and too little time."

"Misguided," Judy corrected.

"Nope. 'Bad'. Jaywalkers are the darkest depths this city has to offer." Judy laughed. Although she couldn't remember ever charging someone with 'jaywalking', she was sure Nick had playfully given some poor animals a hard time over it.

Nick crossed his arms over his blue and gold police uniform and looked at her with accusing eyes, "It probably also doesn't help that _one_ of use likes to take their determined, try-hard attitude too far."

Judy shrugged and winked up at her partner, "'One of us has to'."


	2. Part 1 Chapter 1

**Part 1: Repression**

 **Chapter 1: A Disruptive Rumor**

An unexpected rumor throws complacency into question.

* * *

The ZPD Headquarters was a solid stone at the heart of Zootopia. Built in the image of a towering cliff, the building both literally and figuratively acted like an anchor for the city's security. Atop the doorway and sign that read "Police" was a five pronged crown of rock. Architecturally intriguing and abstractly dominating, the crown adoring the entrance towered over all who entered, by free-will or no.

However, to Judy, this was simply where she checked in and out for patrols.

"It's a completely valid tactic, Carrots," the smooth voice next to her spoke in a drained tone, as if her questioning of him was more tiring than critical, "Ease them in with charming smiles, then, while their guard's down you bring out the cuffs."

Judy shook her head and gestured with her arms as they walked from the squad car parking lot to the left of the building and to the entrance, nearing the doors. "No it's not. Arrests should be done as professionally as possible."

"Your right. Sorry, Ma'am. I haven't gotten my 'stick-up-the-ass' operation yet. I'll let you know when I do," Nick straightened his posture and saluted, his tone blunt and dry as the pair made their way into the headquarters lobby. An orange hued sky filtered down through the glass dome of the lobby and illuminated the building with a dramatic tint of warm light. The Zootopian sunset was always less in City Centre. The tall buildings that covered the area blotted out the horizon line. Therefore, when the sun finally headed toward that line, it was only for a few minutes that the Centre could bask in the glow of the warm colored sky.

Ideally the clean, disinfectant scent of the lobby masked any sort of foreign odors that other animals would be carrying. Although, due to the crowds moving into and out of the building on a daily basis the air still managed to hold a slight mammalian musk to it. Judy could still remember when Nick first started working he complained constantly about how the cleanly smell made his nose itch. She told him promptly to 'suck it up'.

Judy's gray and white cheeks puffed up with air at Nicks comment, "I don't have a stick up my ass!"

The sounds of their own paws shuffling across the linoleum floor were completely muted by the various conversations and arguments of the other animals around them. _Mostly arguments_ , Judy noted as they added to that majority.

"Never said you did. But if you needed one, I can help with that…" Nick leaned down and winked, his open green eye twinkling with amusement.

Judy pushed him away, although considering their size difference, only managed to slightly offset his gait. "Ugh, you're the worst."

"Oooooh, you guys are just like my parents," The high pitched, musical voice from behind the reception desk noted. Benjamin never missed a moment to compare the patrol partners to a couple, much to Judy's dismay. Luckily, or unluckily, Judy had grown so accustom to the comments that for the most part they ricocheted off her in the form of a witty jab of her own. Maybe Nick was starting to rub off on her, she thought. Judy spared him a sideward glance as they walked to the desk and then she grimaced. _If only I could ignore his comments just as well_.

Nick placed his right paw on the counter, leaning against it with a swagger only known to the most laidback. _Or arrogant_. "Guess that would make you our child then, Benjy Boy."

"A rabbit, a dumb fox, and a cute cheetah child?" Judy used her fingers to count off the three, then nodded, "Yep, my parents would have a hernia."

Nick huffed in agreement, "I don't think _His Majesty_ would allow fraternization to that level anyway. Too many awkward, cross-species encounters. Scary stuff." The fox shivered dramatically, his blue uniform brushing against his thick, orange coat making a slight scratching noise. Judy's ear twitched at the invading sound. The woes of having excellent hearing, she ruefully thought.

Clawhauser's posture sank and a pout developed on his face, "Aww, and all I ever wanted were parents that had domestic disputes in public constantly."

Nick looked down at Judy with a cocked eyebrow, "Hun, looks like our son just entered the smartass stage of adolescence."

Judy sighed and raised her paws in the air, shaking her head as her tall ears swayed slightly, "Is this the part where we send him off to boarding school to 'broaden his horizons'?"

"I think so."

Judy snorted in amusement before rolling her eyes, "As much as I love discussing the future I have nightmares about I think we should get started on our reports for the day." Judy began pulling on Nick's elbow, leading them toward the office room.

"Alright, have-" Ben's eyes grew wider and he raised a paw to stop them before they left the counter, "Oh! Wait! There's something I do need to tell you guys." The two paused and looked back.

"Right, just had to get the obligatory friendly banter out of the way first, huh?" Nick smiled dryly at the cheetah. Judy knew that Nick liked Clawhauser so much because he was one of the few officers at the precinct that played along with his banter. Almost too well, Judy grumbled inwardly.

"Shut up." The rabbit reprimanded.

Ben leaned over the desk, his head and arms nearly knocking over the Gazelle paraphernalia scattered about its top, "But speaking of children…"

Judy closed her eyes, crossing her arms, "Benjamin."

Benjamin giggled, "No, this is different. Even if fox-bunnies still sound like the cutest…" Judy's face contorted in annoyance at his under-the-breath comment.

Nick grinned at Judy's reaction, but placated Ben nonetheless, "Clawhauser. Stay with us, bud."

"Right, well rumor is that we're getting a new transfer soon. And by soon I mean tomorrow."

Although still annoyed at Benjamin's insistence that her and Nick were a couple fated, the information he provided piqued her interest, "Rumor? If they're being transferred in tomorrow shouldn't you have already processed their information into the system?"

From experience, Judy knew that the layers of bureaucracy that handled the police profile system could be impedingly slow. However, even she was a known transfer long before she actually arrived in Precinct 1.

Benjamin smiled widely at her deduction, "That's what I was thinking too! I usually get the files a week in advance, but on this one… Just straight outta the blue!" It was obvious to Judy that Ben was getting some entertainment out of the transfer 'mystery'.

"So, 'children'?" Nick directed.

"Apparently were getting one of the youngest detectives in ZPD history to replace Tuskovich."

Judy's left ear flicked. Nick leaned his elbow against the counter with a hand holding his head up, "How young?"

"Twenty-two." Ben giggled excitedly at his reveal.

Judy's brow scrunched and her mouth curved downward, "Twenty-two and detective? You need at least four years and an in-rank promotion before you can even take the test, let alone…" Her fingers rattled off the ZPD requirement's before Nick placed a hand on her own and brought it down. She was about to yell at him for his interruption, but the fox continued on before she could react.

"Ms. Protocol here is right. Although… If they joined right out of high school they'd have just enough time," Nick moved his paw up from her hand to her shoulder and patted it as if she were a child.

Judy huffed. _Even after all this time he still treats me like a child,_ she thought. She knew that he only did it to piss her off. Part of her also knew that she only got pissed off about it because he got enjoyment when she did. _What a stupid cycle_. Nonetheless Judy rolled her shoulder to escape the offending paw, "But still."

Nick smiled toward her before sighing at Ben, "But still. I think you got your numbers wrong, Spots."

Ben's victorious grin fell at their skepticism, "It's true! At least, Fangmeyer says it's true."

Nick looked to Judy with a knowing, wry grin. "Who could have predicted this?" he asked, looking toward the ceiling with dramatic flair.

Judy shook her head, but still smiled, at his usual sarcasm, "Don't take Fangmeyer too seriously, Ben. You know how he is." Judy knew that he was one of the forerunners behind the dumb 'WildeHopps' debacle. Although Judy maintained a working relationship with the wolf, he was certainly on her 'shit list'.

Ben released a long sigh as he reached toward his phone and started typing away in a surprising display of dexterity, "Maybe, just thought you'd guys would want to know. We'll see if its true tomorrow."

Nick patted the desk and lifted himself off it in one smooth motion, "Don't get your hopes up."

"They always are, Nicky!" Ben's musical voice was infectious in how it brought about smiles in others.

Nick made a gun motion with his hand and gave Ben a trademark wink, "And that's why we love ya."

Judy punched his shoulder and grabbed him by his elbow, "Come on you gossipy old woman, we have a report to write."

The fox slumped defeated, his shoulders deflating, "The ball and chain beckons once more."

"Bye!" Ben waved his paw in a wide, nearly obnoxious arc as the two made their way to the offices. Ben's eyes flicked to the way Judy continued to pull on Nick's elbow. He squealed in delight.

* * *

Purple eyes glanced from the computer screen to the large, light-brown door across the room. Next to it had once read "Detective Arnold Tuskovich". Now, all that was there was an empty plaque where a name should be. Judy's teeth clenched together before looking back to the report on her screen, her posture sagging as a pain in her jaw developed.

Through the meager windows of the office a blue darkness shrouded inward, attempting to overtake the lights spread throughout the room. The contrast between the artificial light and the natural darkness outside made the office seem harsh and clinical.

"New detective, huh?" Judy's voice was thicker, as if she hadn't talked for a while. She used that as explanation.

Nick looked over his shoulder at the bunny who he shared a cubicle with. He continued to type, listing off the various details of the tickets they had processed that day. "We'll see. It's still Fangmeyer's word which is worth about as much as a giraffe in a limbo contest."

Judy would have been worried about a certain wolf hearing Nick's jab at his trustworthiness, but they were alone in the offices. Everyone else was either gone or out on patrol. Nick hated how Judy would stress over each and every report till it was much too late, but he eventually followed her lead.

"Yeah." Judy leaned back in her chair, a creak of dissent arising from it.

"Worried they might steal your spotlight, Carrots? Didn't think you'd be so-"

"No! I- I was just… curious." Judy interrupted him with a quickness she quickly regretted. She lifted clenched paws to her eyes and rubbed.

Nick swiveled his computer chair around to look at the bunny, "That doesn't sound like 'just curious' to me. Plus, your ears are drooping." Nick pulled one the of said 'drooping' ears down with a smirk.

Judy yelped and batted his hand away loosely, mumbling, "Just forget it."

Judy cursed internally as a tingling sensation swarmed across her cheeks like a column of ants. Ever since she had known him, she knew Nick was extremely acute to other's body language. It had become one of his best traits over the course of his career. However, when the ability was turned onto Judy a sweeping feeling of vulnerability washed over her. Judy clenched her paws to the sides of the chair and straightened her back, and ears, refusing to make eye contact with the fox.

"Nuh uh, you're not getting off the hook that easily." Nick wagged a single finger at her.

Her paws fell limp. At the outskirts of her mind she felt the tugging sensation, making her aware of the doorway that led out of the office. "It's nothing."

Nick sighed and dropped his voice, "Oh come on, Judy."

 _Damn him_.

"I just thought the Chief would look from inside the precinct to replace Tuskovich, like…" Judy trailed off and began twirling her carrot shaped pen around her fingers

Nick slowly used a paw to turn Judy's chair around to face him, "Someone like a bunny?" Nick was leaning forward, hands crossed over his thighs. His green eyes weren't squinting with practiced smugness.

Judy continued looking down at the pen in her paw. A small smile played across her mouth. "No, that would be hypocritical. It'd be too soon for me too."

"But you thought…" One of his orange paws moved in a slow circle, paw facing up.

Judy gripped the pen harder. "I didn't _think_ , I _hoped_ that maybe…"

"Maybe you had earned it." Nick offered her a lopsided, yet soft, smile.

Judy looked away and shook her head, sighing, "Kind of. I don't know. Gosh, sometimes I'm still just a dumb bunny." She resorted to leaning back onto the desk with an elbow, turning away in her chair slightly.

"Nah, you're just a dumb dreamer." Nick closed his eyes and shrugged.

"Pfft, thanks." Judy smiled as her eyes softened with a slight glow. She broke eye contact and fixated her gaze on the orange, pen. It remained still.

"…A dreamer that made their dreams reality." Nick punctuated his addition with a poke to her shoulder.

Judy snorted, glancing to her side at him, "It wasn't just me. I had some help on the way."

Nick leaned back and shook his head, crossing his arms, "I don't know. You're pretty stubborn."

Judy swiveled toward him and poked his knee, "Like some help from you."

Nick's eyes widened and he snapped in remembrance, "Oh right, that time when you held my financial history hostage."

Judy crossed her arms and raised her head, "And look where my brilliance led us."

Nick's eyes lids drooped. However, Judy noted it wasn't in smugness. Instead they were lidden with satisfaction. Genuine. "Yeah, you're right. We've done pretty good."

Judy raised an eyebrow and wrinkled her nose, "Oh? Has the devil's advocate ceded?"

Nick leaned forward once more and winked, "Only for you."

"How kind." Judy offered a bemused smile at the fox.

Nick crossed his arms behind his back, and tilted his gaze toward the ceiling, "You'll get there, Carrots. You're easily one of the best officers in the ZPD, maybe ever."

Judy coughed and itched one her ears, "Oh shut up, dumb fox." _Sometimes he can be so-_

"No it's true. Well, probably because you got paired with the _actual_ best officer." Nick looked down at her from his tilted position, a smarmy grin on his face.

Judy huffed and then shook her head, smiling all the while, "Typical."

Judy laughed and, soon after, Nick joined in. Judy mirrored her partner's stance and laced her own paws behind her head. _The reports could wait_. Both stayed leaning back in their chairs, legs nearly bumping into one another. Judy focused her hearing inward. A steady, tranquil pulse echoed throughout her body, up into her ears. For a moment she thought if she remained in the position she would begin floating away; toward the ceiling. Judy released a satisfied sigh.

She would be okay with that.

Just as she was wondering whether or not the fox across from her was feeling the same way he interrupted, "So, 'detective'?"

Although irritated at the breaking of the silence she answered, "One day."

Nick touched her leg with his foot as he sat cross legged, "And then?"

"'And then' I'll have an answer for you." Judy answered tucking in her bottom lip, nearly pulling away from the contact.

Nick hummed and nodded slowly, eyes closed, "Fair enough."

The silence that returned tricked her back into peace.

"Hopps! Wilde! You better be finishing up your report." The loud voice echoed through the empty office, knocking them both out of their respective meditative states.

Nick rubbed the back of his neck and glared at an approximation of where the voice was, "You can always count on Big Bull Blue to ruin such a touching moment." He whispered to Judy before clearing his throat, "Of course, O' Captain! My Captain!"

The large water buffalo rounded the corner, his hooves sending a slight tremor through the floor. "Like I'd take your word alone, Wilde," he responded gruffly, as he leaned against the green and glass half wall that divided the two's cubicle from the rest.

Nick swiveled toward the police chief and flashed him a smug grin. Judy cleared her throat, turning back toward her computer while giving the chief a thumbs up, "He's right, we're just finishing up."

Although the chief's face seemed to be chiseled into an eternally dour expression, at times a small smile broke through the stony façade. Just now, Judy knew if she blinked she would have missed it. He tapped a paw against the divider and pointed at her screen, "Good. You're both dismissed once those are sent over to me."

Judy nodded and started typing, "Yes, Sir."

" _Your Highness_ …" Nick bowed, placing a paw on his chest and stretching his other arm out.

Chief Bogo huffed and shook his head slowly as he departed back to his office.

Judy sighed as she heard Bogo's hoovesteps draw far enough away, "You know, it be better for you if you showed a _little_ more respect."

Nick chuckled and swiveled around to return to his own report, "And steal your role in this duet? Not a chance."

* * *

The night air outside Headquarters was crisp and cool. One of the perks of being assigned to City Centre was the even temperature throughout the year. Judy rolled her shoulders and stopped her walk to the parking lot to stretch. Nick stopped as well, paws in his pockets. Both reports were finished, with much prodding from Nick to hurry up, and sent in by Nick to the Chief. Half past eight was not the worst time on record. Nick seemed to agree with his usual, smirk adorning his face.

Judy finished her stretch with a yawn before taking a deep breath of the cool night air.

"So," Nick started, scratching the side of his face with a free paw, "what are you doing tonight?"

"I don't know. Dinner and then bed, I guess." Judy shrugged and held her paws up in defeat.

Nick looked blankly into her eyes.

"Wanna fuck?"

Judy sputtered, nearly falling over.

"N-Nick! What the hell?! Why do you have to say things like that?" Judy glowered up at the smug face as he made a valiant attempt to hide his laughter.

Nick leaned in close and brought a single claw to her chin, lifting it upwards, "Because I'm madly in love with you, Cottontail."

Judy punched his shoulder and pulled away as Nick nursed his wound, "Because you _know_ it makes me uncomfortable."

Nick rubbed the spot where she hit him and winced, "Me? Intentionally make you uncomfortable?! Ridiculous."

Judy rolled her eyes, crossing her arms, "Right. How could I be so hasty?"

"Well, since you are a rabbit I'll let you off this once." Nick rolled his shoulders.

Judy shot him a raised eyebrow, "Gee, thanks."

Nick shook his head and pushed his left paw back into his pocket, "Well, if you aren't going to accept my offer of amorous connection then I bid you farewell, M'lady." Nick began walking away toward the main avenue, but not before waving two fingers at her from behind.

"See ya tomorrow, Catsanova. Have fun bunking with Finnick!" Judy shouted after him with a coy grin.

The two fingered farewell quickly transformed into a single middle finger as he walked off toward the small, fennec fox's place.

Judy closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, shaking her arms out. Although she felt less tense she didn't feel any better once the tightness in her body left. In fact, she felt more empty.

"Detective…" Judy mumbled.

 _Detective Hopps._

Judy inhaled deeply.

The rabbit straightened her back and clenched her paws once. _One day._

With a fast-paced stride, even for a bunny, Judy made her way past the parking lot toward the Savanah Central train station.

As Judy had expected, the station was filled with animals moving through the station to get to their target trains; the station being a connection point between three different lines and the line that headed out from Zootopia to the Bunny Burrows. _Home_ , Judy thought, but quickly pushed the idea away as she made her way to the Inner Loop train. _You've been here for nearly three years already_ , she told herself, _your home's here_.

Judy wanted to slap herself. She was still pouting about her lack of promotion. She wanted to go back to her parents. _You're not a child, Judy. You're a grown woman. Act like it._

However, she couldn't push away the thoughts. Not entirely. She still got passed up for Tuskovich's position. After working so hard for so long, Judy thought that she had impressed Bogo enough for him to give her a chance at being detective. Her pay had gotten better after a few years at the precinct, but that was not why she had her eyes set on detective. It wasn't a product of necessity. _I want it_.

After swiping her weekly metro ticket, the Inner Loop train pulled into the station, the herds of animals moving into and out of the cabin. Judy followed.

Judy settled under one of the lower handholds hanging above as a variety of different animals all huddled together. She grabbed ahold once the train began moving.

"Next stop: Little Rodentia," the feminine voice on the metro's intercom alerted.

Judy looked up at the electronic signed that scrolled the same "Little Rodentia". Her face mouth pressed together in a slight grimace.

Judy knew of a relatively cheap liquor store near the Little Rodentia station. Small, but had a nice line of cheap red wines. She recalled her nights in Bunny Burrows with a few of her friends and siblings. _Oh, the days of drunken bliss._ Judy slightly smiled at the memories.

However, a rattle on the track broke her from her reminiscing as she grabbed the handhold tighter.

 _You're an adult, Judy. You don't need to drown your worries away in a bottle like a sad teenager._ Judy's body began feeling heavier. _Even if it would only be for tonight…_ If any night called for a nice bottle of alcohol Judy knew tonight was that night.

But a lower, smug voice told her otherwise.

She recalled the conversation with Nick. How supportive he had been. Through everything that life had thrown at her while she was in Zootopia Nick had always been there to bring her back onto her feet.

 _And not just him_ , she knew. Her parents had always been there; her mom always comforting her after a bad bout' of teen angst. Or her older siblings helping her up when she got knocked down. Judy looked once more up at the electronic, scrolling sign. "Little Rodentia". _No_ , she thought, _I'll just go home and sleep it off_.

"Arriving at: Little Rodentia station." The train slid to a halt at the platform and the sliding doors opened. Judy's nose twitched and her brow pulled inwards. Animals began flooding out to the station, a crowd waiting to the sides to enter the train.

 _Just go home, Judy_.

Judy's eyes closed and then reopened with a gulp. She set her jaw and licked her lips.

* * *

The bright morning sun reflecting off the linoleum floor of the Headquarters lobby was like a flashbang specifically aimed at Judy's head. She groaned.

As she passed a painfully loud citizen complaining to a tiger officer, an even louder voice found her ears, "Good morning, Judy!"

Judy cringed as she felt as if her vision had been rattled by Clawhauser's greeting. She brought a paw up and rubbed at her temple.

"Ahem," Judy attempted to clear her dry throat, "Good morning Ben. Did Nick come in yet?"

Ben's eyebrows furrowed and his head cocked lightly to the left, "I haven't seen him."

Judy leaned upon the reception desk and brought a paw down her face, letting it slid off and land on the desk. "Good," She gulped, "cause it's his turn to pick up _Stagbucks_." _And I swear on gran's life, if he forgets…_

Ben arched his back forward, peering closer at Judy with a continually arched brow, "You feeling alright?"

Judy forced a smile and waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, yeah. Just didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

Benjamin hummed quizzically. However, something behind Judy stole his attention, "Well, looks like your other half's here."

Judy sighed and prepared to interject, "Ben, I…", but the distinct smell of fresh coffee filled her nostrils, "Whatever, I'm too tired to deal right now."

Judy turned and made her ways to the courier of coffee. The red fox smugly held a cardboard cup holder with two drinks in it: one a white, covered hot beverage and the other a clear, white and light brown cold drink. Nick winked and walked with his head high toward her, "That's what _I'm_ here for Carrots."

Judy clenched her teeth, yet persevered to Nick, "I don't think I've ever been happier to see you."

Nick's eyes squinted for a fraction of a second but slipped even deeper into the depths of smugness after realization. With a lavish nod the fox grabbed the hot coffee out of the holder and held it toward the bunny, "One _Las Lluvias_ black for Ms. Sunshine." However, when she reached toward it like a wolf to a howl party ticket, Nick raised it higher, just out of her grasp, "If she earns it."

Judy's cheeks puffed up and her eyes narrowed dangerously at the fox, "Just give me the damn coffee, you monster." The rabbit jumped and grabbed the coffee from his hands, careful not to spill any of the life-giving liquid.

When the hot, black brew entered her mouth Judy couldn't help but groan in pleasure.

Nick clucked his tongue and walked toward the cheetah behind the desk, "Did you see that Benjy? Not an ounce of gratitude in that bunny soul of hers. What darkness lies in the hearts of mammals." Judy glared at him as she continued sipping her coffee.

Nick shook his head at the rabbit, but turned his attention to the large cat to his side when he noted the half-lidded, satisfied expression on his face, "And what about you? Why so smug?"

Benjamin shrugged and looked at Nick with wide eyes, "Oh, no reason." Nick snorted and lifted his paw to respond.

"Ah," Judy sighed, drawing the attention of Nick and Ben, "I can already feel the lovely caffeine running through my veins."

Nick placed his own drink on the desk and gestured both arms at Judy, "This, ladies and gentlemen, is what we call an addict."

Judy looked at him and then sighed, "Still not enough to deal with you though." With another sip of her coffee Judy walked past Nick and toward the bull pen. "Let's go check in."

Nick nodded, but pointed a thumb toward the upstairs office of the police chief, "Sure, but we should make sure that Bogo got the report."

Judy looked behind her shoulder at the fox for a moment, inspecting him. Then she groaned, placing a paw on her temple for what must have been the one-hundredth time that morning, "Ugh, you better have sent it in before we left."

Nick gulped, but retained his cool composure. _For all the good it will do him_ , Judy thought. "Your lack of faith is disturbing. Plus, that was only once. I just… need to make sure." Nick rubbed a single paw down his chest.

Judy changed course toward the fox and stuck a finger into the middle of his chest, "It's your head this time."

Nick rolled his eyes, "All right, Ramspierre," and began heading toward the stairs.

Every step Judy made up the staircase was accompanied with a hammer to her head. As she finished walking to the second floor she grabbed onto the wood railing and took a deep breath. All the while she maintained her glare at Nick. She knew he had planned this once he saw her condition this morning. _Damn that sly fox._

Nick was ahead of her, already at the office door. Peeking into the window of Chief Bogo's door, "Looks like he's in a meeting."

Judy took another sip of her coffee and walked the rest of the way to him. Nick shrugged his shoulders, "Well, don't say I didn't..." The fox trailed off as his eyes caught something in the office. Nick's ears raised higher in curiosity.

"What?" Judy asked. Then with a groan and a paw placed on her hip she realized, "Damnit, you didn't send it in did you?"

Nick shook his head and his ears returned to their normal, angled state, "No, that's not it."

"What then?"

Nick looked at her for a moment, and then looked back. Judy peeked around and looked inside the office. Inside, she spotted chief Bogo sitting down speaking with a spotted, small cat whose back faced the two. Nick opened his mouth, "That's…" but closed it quickly, "Never mind."

Judy looked up at her partner with a pinched brow, "Nick?"

Nick smiled and winked, "We can ask him later. We've got to go check in." With his paw on her wrist he began dragging her toward the staircase.

Judy sighed, "Damn you..." Now she knew he had just wanted to make her take the stairs.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: A Disruptive Transfer**

A new transfer revives old friendships and conjures new feelings.

* * *

Judy wanted to die. She knew that her hangover would hinder her day, but this daze was unexpectedly harsh. The usual loudness of the bull pen was normally bearable, even welcome. Now, though, it sounded like the metal grating of a chain being drug across concrete. _Maybe it's not like it was when I was younger,_ Judy thought, _when did hangovers get so bad?_

All around her the day officers of Precinct One talked, argued, and joked. McHorn and Manely accidentally bumped into her from the side, their size nearly knocking her off the chair over to Nick who sat on her left. Judy's brow furrowed and with a deep sigh of acceptance sat her head onto the table before her. _You can do this. Just get through the day._

Needing morale support, Judy reached for her nearly empty cup of coffee. When she did, the fox in her peripheral vision caught her eye. Looking up at him more directly, Judy saw that his attention was drawn toward the back of the meeting room, his persistent, smug smile even more pronounced than usual. With his head leaning against his arm on the table like a photographer's bipod, Judy had the notion to knock it out from under him; a nice bit of payback for this morning. However, the feeling of lethargy was overpowering still. Too much motion would be involved with that, not to mention the annoyed protest from the victimized fox, Judy reasoned. She took a sip of her 'black gold', instead.

Judy noted that Nick had been rather silent about her current condition. Judy had expected the teasing fox to milk her hangover for as much annoyance as he could. The bunny wondered what had preoccupied him enough to spare her.

However, before she could turn her gaze in line with his, Officer Higgins gathered the attention of the room with a quick, but powerful, "Attention!"

The door at the front of the room opened promptly and the hulking, blue figure of Chief Bogo walked through. The heavy, commanding hoovesteps of the bull echoed through room, even the sound of raucous hooting and thumping of fists from the officers couldn't draw from his tread. Judy winced as each paw hit the table. _Please, someone, kill me,_ she thought, cursing her acute glanced to her left to see Nick coolly leaning against the table. At the very least he was not adding to the dreadful drum of excited mammals. Through her seemingly perpetual pain, Judy wondered if the preceding interjection of the hippo officer was necessary; the Chief only needed to walk into a room to gather its attention.

Bogo neared the podium at the head of the room, carrying a few red folders. "Settle…" he muttered, but when the energizing beat of officers continued, he raised his voice and repeated, "Settle." As the officers ceased their pounding, Judy breathed out in relief.

However, when Chief Bogo started the morning check-in with his deep, projecting baritone, the brief reprieve of quiet was shattered. "First order of business… Today we have a new addition to the precinct that I should introduce."

Judy briefly wondered what new recruit he was talking about until she remembered back to earlier that morning. _That cat in Bogo's office,_ Judy wondered as she looked at Nick and then glanced toward where he was staring before. As she suspected, at the last table of the bull pen sat a small, brown and black furred cat, _Most likely an ocelot given his size and fur pattern,_ Judy deduced. The rabbit smiled mischievously and turned to face the front. She recalled her own treatment upon arriving at the precinct. _It was a hazing all new recruits went through and this ocelot would be no different_ , Judy thought.

Bogo looked up at the ocelot in the back and then returned to the report on the podium with a tired gaze, "But, I don't care."

The mammals in the room grumbled with taunting laughter. Judy smiled and looked to Nick. He gave a smile and a shrug back. However, a curt cough from the back of the bull pen interrupted the mumbled laughter.

An uneasy silence emerged with the interjection. All eyes in the room turned to the back where the ocelot from before was standing on his chair, hands held behind his back and chest puffed outward. With a slow nod of affirmation, the ocelot addressed the whole of the room, although his steady gaze was focused directly at Chief Bogo, "Good morning everyone, I am Detective Lorenzo Felidus."

For a moment, all that seemed to exist in the crowded bull pen were the ocelot and the chief. Judy looked from the cat to the relatively huge bull. The air in the room suddenly felt heavy and oppressing. Judy looked to Nick and could see him glance between the two and gulp nervously. She briefly wondered why Nick was unusually invested.

Chief Bogo and the ocelot locked eyes, the tension between them like a pair of blades drawn at one another.

The silence persisted.

Finally, Chief Bogo sighed, his broad shoulders slumping in exhaustion, "…To replace Detective Tuskovich we have received Detective Felidus, a transfer from Las Lluvias." All eyes fell onto Detective Felidus as he stood adamantly on his chair. With his chin held high, the cat maintained eye contact with the Chief, his expression nearly tired, but holding an edge of pride. However, for a very brief moment, Detective Felidus' icy blue eyes fell onto her before darting back to match Chief Bogo's.

Chief Bogo leaned over the podium, brown eyes piercing as they seemingly stared into Detective Felidus' core. Then, with punctuated articulation, he asked "Did I miss anything, Felidus?"

Felidus' eyes squinted for a brief moment before blinking slowly. "It is Fe – Li – Dus, not Fee – Luh – Dus," He said nodding and then sat down, "That is all."

"Duly noted." Chief Bogo's response was quick and dry, dispelling the correction immediately.

"Now that our phonics lesson is over…" The room grumbled with low laughter once more, the tension beginning to cease, "We have nothing out of the ordinary for today. Central is quiet apart from a possible Prey Protection Party protest outside of the Mayor's Tower later today. Officers in the area will be tasked with overseeing the tower if it turns out they decided to protest. We will keep notifications current throughout the day." Chief Bogo finished the daily read off of events with a grunt as he closed one folder and opened another.

"Now for assigned patrol routes…" Bogo picked his reading glasses out from his shirt pocket and placed them upon his snout. "Officer Snarloff and Trunkaby: Pack Street patrol," was the first pair he read off, the two heading out of the room.

Chief Bogo continued, "Higgins and Delgato: you will take Peak Street…" However, Judy was not in the state of mind to focus on too many things at once. Chief Bogo's voice faded into a series of unintelligible low background sounds. The new detective at the back held her attention now.

Judy noted first that Detective Felidus obviously put some thought into his appearance. Detectives at Precinct One wore plainclothes with a form of identification on person. Although, he could have dressed more casually, Detective Felidus wore a long-sleeve, baby blue, button down shirt with beige dress pants and a black, silver buckled belt. Judy could only call the outfit immaculate as it looked as if it had just come out of an iron. She reasoned that he must have wanted to make an impression on his first day at the precinct.

All over his rather lithe body, from his head to his paws, the ocelot was covered in the light brown fur with a distinctive pattern of dark black rosettes and longitudinal streaks. At his lower back protruded a long tail. However, unlike Nick's, Detective Felidus' was narrow and long; certainly not as bushy as the fox's. At the tail's end was a black tip, as if it had been dipped in an ink well.

Black markings and brown fur continued to his face and muzzle. Lines of sable ran along from his pink, triangular nose, around his eyes, and to his oddly rounded ears for a cat, Judy noted. Before she could even fathom calling the combination of his pink nose and rounded cat ears cute, the expression on his face stopped her.

The stunt Detective Felidus was bold; Judy would even go as far to say insubordinate. She reminded herself that she had been rather insubordinate herself when she started out, but she also didn't challenge the Chief directly in front of his officers. Judy couldn't begin to decipher the statement he was trying to make with that, but the expression that adorned his face explained some of where the boldness came from.

Felidus' eyes were half-lidded- _No_ , Judy corrected, _not half-lidded. Narrowed_. The eyes, combined with his set eyebrows and narrowly frowning mouth gave him a nearly bored appearance. However, Judy had been around people with the same bored expression he had on his face before, her encounter with Mr. Big coming to mind. _He wasn't bored_ , she recalled, _he was confident_. This same feeling came across in his accented voice. Judy had never encountered someone from Las Lluvias before, but the exotic accent reminded her of Mr. Manchas. _I wonder what 'Judy' would sound like with that accent…?_

Striking blue eyes met Judy's own, breaking her out of her daze. _Crap, how long have I been staring?!_ Judy looked away quickly from the new detective and looked down at the metal table. In an attempt to mitigate the tingling sensation at the back of her neck and her rapid heartbeat, Judy began analyzing every intricate detail of the smooth metal table.

Nick scoffed to her left, "How cute."

Judy shook her head and looked at the smugly smiling fox, "Huh?" Part of her knew exactly what he was referring to, but she was insistent about not giving him the upper hand.

Judy cleared her throat and brought her forepaws together on the table. Judy glanced around and noticed that she had zoned out long enough for most of the other officers to have been giving their assigned patrols.

With only a few parings left in the room Chief Bogo called out theirs. "…Hopps and Wilde, you will take the patrol route around Troop Street." Nick sighed and swung off the table in a lackadaisical manner. Although, Judy didn't sigh, she agreed with her partner. The Troop Street patrol was a dull one with little to no crime occurring in the area. She knew that she should be glad that the place's worst offenders were a few repeat speeders and careless drivers. However, part of her wanted something exciting.

As Judy and Nick walked the podium and headed toward the door Bogo pointed at them warningly, "Keep it clean. No wild chases." His eyes narrowed authoritatively.

Nick nodded and gave him a thumbs up, "Wilde is my middle… Well, it's my last name."

Bogo rubbed a hand down his face and pointed a steady finger at the door, "Out!" Nick shrugged and continued walking. Judy spared one last glance behind her at Detective Felidus before following Nick.

* * *

Once outside of the bull pen, the bunny and fox made their way to one of the lounges close by. When they entered the white and red painted room and noted the absence of anyone else, the two decided to sit down on one of the red couches against the wall.

Nick huffed as he all but threw himself onto the couch. "And things were just starting to get boring around here," he said as he placed his arms behind his head.

Judy sat down beside him and stretched her arms, "I can't believe Bogo put up with that."

"Maybe they're going to have some steamy hate sex afterward. You know, to clear the air."

Judy rolled her eyes, raising an eyebrow at the fox, "How old are you?"

Nick winked back at her condescension, "Old enough."

Judy took a moment to enjoy the silence of the lounge. The coffee had helped ease the pain of her headache, but there was still a constant feeling of sickness. She felt like she was on the deck of a boat at sea.

"So what was with that look before?" Judy asked, recalling the fox's cruel manipulation to get her up the stairs.

Nick raised an eyebrow in question, "Hmm?"

"When you saw him in Bogo's office? What was that for?"

Nick's eyes gleamed, but he closed them as he spoke, "Oh nothing, was just trying to pin down what species he was."

Judy knew he was acting suspicious, but had no evidence of any scheming. So, _for now_ , she added, she decided to play along, "I'm pretty sure he's an ocelot."

Nick smirked largely, "Yep, I think so too."

Judy shook her head. She decided that whatever he was planning, which she suspected was probably a teasing joke, was not worth the effort this morning to figure out. "I got our keys so I'm ready when you are," she said fishing the patrol car keys out from her utility belt.

"Wanna hold back and meet him? You were giving him lovey dovey eyes back there. Don't want you to miss your opportunity for _love_." Nick drew out the sentence into a lower, sultry voice.

Judy poked his shoulder, "You're just jealous that you aren't as exotic."

"I bet it was the accent."

"He was like a fresh dragon fruit to your moldy apple."

Nick got up from his lying position on the couch and pointed at the door, "Oh, I'm sure he'd love to hear about his new admirer."

Judy followed and elbowed him in the side, eliciting a quick yelp from the fox, "I swear if you say anything weird…"

"I'm just making friends, Carrots. Nothing malicious," Nick promised, drawing his hands up in a sign of peace.

Judy shrugged and nodded toward the door, "Fine, we can stay, but that's only so I'm here to defend myself."

Nick winked and patted her back, "Of course."

* * *

Nick and Judy made their way from the lounge to one of the benches next to the bull pen and waited for Detective Felidus to exit. It didn't take long.

Just as they arrived, a large tiger in a brown overcoat exited with an aggravated gait. Judy hadn't had much interaction with the feline, but she knew that Detective O'Clawnell was one of the most senior members of the precinct. Apart from an awkward first meeting, Judy didn't talk to the tiger much. This was partly because every time she saw him he had annoyed scowl. However, now it seemed that his scowl had deepened considerably.

As the door to the bull pen was about to close, Detective Felidus came through the threshold behind O'Clawnell.

Judy opened her mouth to catch the ocelot's attention, but the deep, tired voice of the tiger cut her off.

"You just had to mouth off on your first day and get us both office duty," he asked, turning around to tower over the comparatively tiny Felidus. Even though Detective Felidus was only a few inches shorter than Nick, the ocelot didn't flinch as the tiger chastised him. Judy noticed that his paws squared off into a more solid stance when O'Clawnell started speaking.

Felidus put his right forepaw in his pants pocket and gestured slowly with the other, "There were not any cases to be put on."

O'Clawnell shook his head and roughly gestured a hand at the door of the bull pen and then down at Felidus, "Now, I'm caught between your smart mouth and Bogo's glare. Great."

"All I did was introduce myself," Felidus explained, a hint of edge running into his blank tone.

"No, what you did was mouth off like a rebellious child in class," O'Clawnell shook his head and glared at the younger detective.

Felidus responded to the glare by squinting his own eyes and pointing a single finger upwards, "'What I did', Detective O'Clawnell, was state my name and how to pronounce it so if I am needed by the precinct they will know what my name is. If you choose to let your fear of the chief's power influence the assumptions you make on my actions, then so be it. However, I hope you do not let this same attitude follow you into future cases or your deductive abilities will prove to be suspect in the field. I am not going to fight with you on the first day, but I will not let false assumptions be made about me without my interjection to the contrary-" Before Detective Felidus could continue his unrelenting explanation, O'Clawnell sighed heavily, turned around, and walked away.

As he walked past the eavesdropping bunny and fox, toward the offices, he muttered under his breath, "Fuck me…"

Judy looked to her side at Nick who was trying his best to hold in a laugh. Judy didn't know what Detective Felidus was trying to accomplish, but already he had gone toe-to-toe with the Chief and then, not fifteen minutes after, challenged his supposed partner. _Whatever it was_ , Judy thought, _making friends wasn't in his plans_.

Judy was about to signal to Nick that introducing themselves after the fight was not a good idea, but the fox moved ahead toward the ocelot before she could. _You idiot,_ Judy face palmed, yet followed anyway.

Nick sauntered up to Felidus as the ocelot rubbed at his brow, "Making friends already, huh?" Judy came up to the left of the fox, slightly behind him. She wasn't going to take the brunt of Felidus' retort if Nick pissed him off.

Detective Felidus sighed softly and pulled his paws down from his face, "Acquaintances for now, it seems."

"I think that may be a _tad_ optimistic," Nick pointed behind to where O'Clawnell had walked off to with an incredulous laugh.

Felidus' brow pulled together into a minimal scowl, "Maybe. But, it gave him insight into my character at the very least." Judy was surprised. She thought that, given his defensive behavior before, he would be much more confrontational. Nick was talking to him with ease.

Nick stuffed his paws into his pockets causally, "Oh, I think he got plenty of insight."

Felidus turned to face Nick directly, the squared stance from before dissolving into one that was more relaxed. Then, the corners of his mouth curved upwards ever so slightly, "Nearly three years."

Nick's smirk grew and he nodded, "Just about."

' _Three years'?_ Judy looked between the two. Now she knew why he had been surprised to see him in Bogo's office and why he had been giving him teasing smirks in the meeting room; they already knew each other. Beginning to feel like a third wheel, Judy nudged Nick's leg side and coughed.

Nick inhaled sharply, "Oh, right. I almost forgot. My partner here was dying to meet you." The fox gestured at her loosely.

Judy shook her head disappointedly as she took a step toward Detective Felidus, paw on her hips, "Can't even expect a proper introduction from you..."

"Nice to meet you Detective Felidus, I'm Officer Hopps, but you can just call me Judy," the bunny introduced herself cheerily. Judy extended her right paw, with her other held behind her back professionally.

For the short time she had seen him, Felidus' expression had been marred by a scowl or simple ambivalence, but when she went to shake his paw the soft, amiable smile that appeared on his muzzle dissipated any negative feelings. "It is a pleasure, Judy, as you already know I am Detective Lorenzo Felidus," he greeted, bowing slightly as he shook her paw with his own.

Judy returned the pleasant smile with her own, "Sorry if I butchered your last name."

Lorenzo shook his head and held his paw up, "No, you pronounced it just fine."

Nick leaned in over Judy's shoulder, "In case you were curious, Cottontail here thinks you're hot."

Judy's eyes widened and looked between Lorenzo and Nick. She offered Lorenzo a sheepish smile and then glared at the offending fox, "Nick!"

Felidus sighed, shaking his head, "Sounds like you haven't changed a bit; just picked a new victim for your dumb jokes." _Oh, sweet, sweet retribution_ , Judy mused.

Nick looked taken aback, his hand over his heart, "So soon with the meanness. I'll have you know, I put a lot of thought into those jokes. I thought we were being friendly here?"

Lorenzo's smile weakened and he raised a single, skeptical eyebrow at Nick, "That wholly depends on you."

"I'll behave," Nick promised with big eyes and a pursed mouth.

"That is unlikely-" Lorenzo said.

"Yeah, right-" Judy said at the same time.

The two glanced at each other. Then, the two offered each other a smirk. Judy was glad she now had someone who deflected Nick's teasing. Nick grinned at the two, slumping his shoulders in defeat.

Lorenzo turned to Judy, giving her a quizzical expression, "So, you are Judy?"

"Uh, yeah," Judy answered, question tinting her own voice.

"The same one from before Nick's training?"

"Probably?"

"Yep, this is the one that you saw on the billboards and recruitment pamphlets," Nick stepped in, clearing up the confusion, "Judy Hopps, Hero cop!"

Lorenzo looked at Nick with wide eyes and a close-lipped smile, "I was convinced you were teasing me about her."

"To a point." Nick looked very satisfied until he yelped as the bunny fist hit his side.

"What did he say about me?! Don't believe a word he said!" Judy swiped her paws in front of her, hoping to ward away any possible negative thoughts Felidus had of her.

Lorenzo looked away sheepishly, bringing his paw to cover his mouth, "It would be rude of me to say…"

Judy punched Nick's side again, "Nick!"

Nick grimaced and glared at Lorenzo, "You sly bastard. You're paying my medical bills."

When Judy looked back at the ocelot, his embarrassed countenance had been replaced with satisfactory smirk, "Do not worry, Judy. He did not say anything embarrassing. I never believe what he has to say, anyway."

Nick crossed his arms and pouted theatrically, "You've already joined her side against me?"

Lorenzo raised one eyebrow and frowned at the fox, "Did you think I would join yours?"

Judy laughed, placing a paw on her hip. She turned to Lorenzo, with an apologetic expression, "We just wanted to come over and welcome our very first ocelot to precinct one." The ocelot's eye twitched at her statement. Judy's smile fell. _Did I say something wrong?_

"Um, is…" she began asking.

Lorenzo help a paw up, cutting her off, "No. It is fine." The cat held a paw up to his chest, gesturing to himself, "Though, I am not an ocelot. I am a margay."

Judy looked at him quizzically, "A… margay?" Then realizing how rude she was being covered her mouth, "Oh, crackers, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to insult you or anything. You just look so much like an ocelot. I assumed-"

The margay put his paws in his pockets and let out a small, breathy laugh at her rushed apology, "No offense taken, Judy, it is a simple mistake to make. Regardless, I appreciate your welcome."

Judy's ear twitched at the word 'simple'. Something about the way he said it garnered her attention, but she brushed it off and nodded at him, "It's no problem."

Lorenzo's icy, blue eyes looked from Judy to Nick, the previously hard brow becoming softer, "As much as I loathe it, I should go up and get started on that office work with Detective O'Clawnell." The margay offered a slight bow to Judy, smiling, "Judy, it was a pleasure." Then, when he looked up at Nick, he glared for a brief moment before it faltered and he sighed. "Nick, I never thought I would say this, but it was good to see you again," he admitted, offering the slightly taller fox a smirk as he began walking off to the offices, paws in pocket.

Judy waved back while Nick yelled back to him across the atrium, "You too. Be good on your first day, Lory!"

Judy giggled as Lorenzo sighed at the nickname, but kept walking.

Judy smiled warmly and looked up at Nick who's eyes held an unusual brightness in them. _Detective Lorenzo Felidus, huh?_

* * *

After her introduction to Detective Felidus, the two started their patrol on Troop Street. It only took a few minutes to get to the start of the patrol from the Headquarters. Now, they sat in the patrol vehicle as it lay on stand-by near a busy intersection. Already, Judy was beginning to feel restless. The bunny knew that her headache would flare up if anything strenuous happened, but sitting around doing nothing was potentially a worse fate.

Judy sat behind the wheel of the vehicle drumming her fingers against the black leather. In front of the car, a swarm of cars and pedestrians went about their day. _And all I get to do is ticket them if they speed,_ Judy thought. Nick sat beside her, flipping through his phone. She'd long ago dropped any attempts to get him to take the job more seriously and not get sidetracked. _As long as he got results_ , she reasoned, _him playing on his phone wasn't_ that _bad_.

Judy glanced at the clock. '10:32 A.M.'

Judy leaned on the window with her elbow, propping her head up, "When were you expecting on telling me about Detective Felidus?"

Nick tore his eyes away from his phone to look at her, "Who…? Oh, right. You mean Lory."

Judy rolled her eyes, "Sure."

Nick leaned in and looked around suspiciously before whispering to her, "Well, I had this elaborate plan set up to announce our clandestine knowing of one another, but Small Spots back there had to let the _cat_ out of the bag."

"Very original. Cat jokes," Judy said with a slanted brow.

Nick smirked and leaned back in his seat, "I'm a humor revolutionary."

"Where do you know him from?"

"From the ZPD Academy."

"Wait, though he's from the Las Lluvias department," Judy asked.

Nick nodded and itched his ear, "Yep."

"So, how'd that happen?"

"Secret police conspiracies," Nick explained with a deadpan expression.

Judy snorted and turned away to look out the window at the vehicles moving by, "Yeah, the same conspiracy that let you get through the academy, I guess."

"It was some cross-department program, apparently. Lory said something about 'evaluating the integrity of the academy's rainforest biome course'.," Nick explained, impersonating Lorenzo's particular tone. "And I'll have you know that I passed just fine. Actually, that's mostly how we met."

"Ha," Judy exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the red fox, "I knew you had to have cheated off someone!"

Nick waved a finger at her in denial, "More like tutored by. Don't let his age fool you."

Judy gave him a cheeky grin, "So you got tutored by someone thirteen years younger than you?"

Nick opened his eyes wide and cupped his paws around his mouth, "New press release from Officer Judy Hopps, 'Age defines you!'"

"Fine, fine. Well, I'm glad he helped you out. Who knows who I'd have as partner if you failed?"

"Probably Francine. Maximize the size-difference joke, Nick offered.

"Hmm, maybe I'll have to ask the chief for a partner transfer…" Judy pondered as she brought a paw to her chin.

"But she's not nearly as charming as me."

"Not nearly as annoying, sure."

Nick winked, "Touché."

Judy ran a claw down the pattern of leather on the steering wheel, "So, is this the first time you guys have met up since you graduated?"

"Yeah, didn't really keep in contact after," Nick shrugged.

"Bad break-up, huh?"

Nick raised an eyebrow, "Need to make sure he's single, Carrots?"

Nick leaned back in his seat, and pulled his paws behind his head, closing his eyes as he spoke. "Wasn't bad blood or anything. Las Lluvias isn't exactly a short metro trip away, though. There's a reason those beans cost so much."

"They're delicious!"

"Plus, foxes aren't known for being sociable pen pals."

Judy held a paw to her heart, "Aww, fate has obviously reunited you two."

"'Obviously'," Nick repeated mockingly.

 _Detective._

Judy leaned back and looked up at the blue, Savannah Central sky, "He's five years younger than me and detective. That's… damn impressive. I thought that Fangmeyer was just blowing smoke again."

Nick nodded in agreement, "If anyone could do it, it'd be him."

"He's that good?"

Nick opened his eyes to look at Judy, "Brain over brawn. He's pretty shoddy as a sparring partner."

"I see."

"You have him beat there, Thumper."

Judy turned to look at the fox skeptically, "Oh, yeah?"

Nick affirmed his comment with a nod, "Plus, I only saw him work in the academy. I still think you could give him a run for his money."

Judy huffed, "Nick, this isn't a competition. We're on the same side."

Nick poked her shoulder with the blunt side of his claw, "Sure you are, Ms. Ambition."

Judy batted him away, "Shut up."

Nick smirked and pulled away. The fox's green eyes moved from her to the window on his side, "He has gotten more…"

"More what?"

"Confrontational. The Lory I remember would have just ignored Buffalo Blue's introduction; not waste his energy," he answered with a hint of serious edge.

Judy's softened her own voice in response, "It has been three years and he's been on the force since then. People change. You went from con to cop." Judy elbowed his arm.

Nick smirked at the rabbit, clarifying, "Under duress."

"I always knew you had a heart of justice underneath that tacky, green shirt."

Nick's eyes narrowed playfully, "How dare you insult my style?"

Nick pulled back. Judy noted the slight wrinkle in his brow, "Yeah, maybe we'll have to catch up some time. Although, I'm not the only reason we didn't keep in contact. He's not exactly an uptown socialite, either. Hell, I'd say even more so then me."

"He seemed nice enough." Besides herself and Finnick, Judy knew that Nick didn't have any 'real friends', as he called them. As annoying and sarcastic as he could be, Judy still wanted him to open up more to others. _Rekindling an old friendship is exactly what he needs_ , she thought.

Nick scoffed, "Oh, he's polite when he needs to be. As long as you don't trigger him, apparently. Just don't expect him to be partying the night away at Bill and Goat's." Judy ceded that she couldn't imagine the articulate margay at the local Savanah Central bar.

"So, bribe him with coffee and then see what we can pull out of him," Judy suggested.

"Sorry, I don't remember what kind he liked. Plus, I feel ethically conflicted on helping you get in his pants," Nick said, his oily smirk returning.

Judy sighed and shook her head, "You're projecting again, Wilde." Then, she glanced at him with a smirk of her own, "Maybe his place is even bigger than Finnick's. You could mooch off him instead."

"Jeez, you are never going to let that go are- " Nick raised a finger to defend himself, but the dispatch on the dashboard clicked on as a call came through.

"Hopps, Wilde, please respond. Over." Clawhauser's voice said over the radio.

Judy reached for the radios transceiver, but Nick swiped it before she could with a charming wink, "10-4, Benjy."

Judy sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. The bunny reached over the seat and pulled the transceiver in his paw to her level, "Over." Nick mouthed 'opps'. She just shook her head at his forgetfulness.

"There's a 459 at an apartment near your position. Respond with code three. Over." Clawhauser's upbeat voice made the report of a burglary sound optimistic and cheerful.

"Send us the address and we'll be right over… Over," Nick affirmed, sliding the vehicle mounted laptop around so he could access the address.

"Sending. Over and Out."

Nick placed the transceiver back into its holster as Judy got into position to drive, "A burglary. How exciting."

Judy flicked on the lights and siren, "Focus, fox."

Nick nodded, taking the aviator sunglasses hanging from his shirt pocket and flipping them onto his face smoothly, "Yes, Ma'am. Let's show these assholes why you don't mess around with WildeHopps on the prowl."

Judy grimaced at Clawhauser's nickname for their 'partnership' as she pulled into the street and began speeding toward the address of the burglary, "Oh my gosh, will you shut up?!"


End file.
